Gas Station Car washes for Prius?

I don't trust any car wash that touches the car with brushes, sponges or other devices. Even if the system wouldn't damage the paint when it was in perfect condition, gas station car washes aren't usually in perfect conditions.

My compromise is to use a touch-less car wash to get the major crud off in between real washes and then occasionally either wash it myself or take it to a human car wash.

If you set your standards lower and you will appreciate touch-less car washes more

 

My paint is the non metalic black and scratches very easily. I've put my car through a car wash once or twice but I really wouldn't recommend doing it to your pride and joy!

 

Any automated carwash has its drawbacks. The ones with the revolving brushes, or even the giant cloth pads, will scratch your paint (the brushes are the most damaging). The touchless ones use very strong chemicals to make up for the lack of mechanical washing, which is also damaging, and they don't do a very thorough job.

In my area, there is a chain (called Auto Pride) that is 100% hand washing. The car is pulled along a track, and guys on either side first rinse, then foam, then wash, after which it's rinsed and blown dry, followed by hand drying after it emerges from the track. I've been using this place for years and years with great results. Short of personally hand washing, it's the next best thing.

 

Good point, of the two near me one frequently assaults my nose and sometimes eyes with a strong chemical presence, the other doesn't. The other also doesn't get the car quite as clean but I choose the less aggressive one.

 

So how does the dealer wash the car before it's sold?

 

Most likely, through an automatic carwash located on the dealer's premises.

 

I always take my car to a gas station to be washed. I take out teh antenna, and so far Im 100% happy with the results.

 

Any special care for the rear wiper? Or just send it through?

 

I just send mine through -including leaving the radio antenna sticking up. I do find some car washes push a little too hard on the rear spoiler!

 

The rear wiper has a latch mechanism which prevents it from raising up more than a small amount without disengaging the latch. I suspect this is to prevent damage in car washes, among other times.

 

We haven't used an automatic car wash since the early '80's with our first Civic, just once or twice. A few thoughts:

1. How do you set your Prius transmission? Can it go through in Park? Or do you need to leave it in Neutral and running??

2. If you frequently rely on automated car washes you will have problems with missed dents and scratches rusting out due to not being noticed. I think the best ploy is to wash and dry the car. Even washing yourself but leaving it wet, you won't notice a lot of small scratches.

3. I suspect the automatic car wash largely misses problem areas, wheel wells for instance, where grit and salt tend to accumulate.

4. If you've ever unbolted something like a gas pipe shield or mud flap and found a pack of mud lurking, it is worth considering doing the wash yourself at least every so often.

5. When I'm done with the exterior wash I start popping open doors and hatches, damp clothing the door sills, side columns, interior of door edges, basically everything I can reach. A car wash won't touch this.

 

All true.

However its 20 degrees outside with no relief in sight, and my poor car has salt and dirt all over it. I'll take what I can get !

 

I have been reading this forum for a while. I don't own a Prius yet but will before the end of the year. I just had to add my 2 cents on this topic. I have seen it on every car forum I have been on, which is several over the years.

If you do a internet search for automatic vs hand car wash you will find several discussion about 2 studies one done by Mercedes and other the University of Texas. Both find that automatics are less damaging to the paint. I would post the links, but I have less that 5 post and can not post links.

I don't think the infor will change anybodys mind, but if you are undecided maybe....

Happy motoring

 

Where I live now we don't have handwash service available. So the next best thing for me is to use the autowashes that have the cloth or sponges. I can't recall when I last saw an autowash with brushes. The touchless washes are fine for a rinse but leave too much dirt/grime on the car. Handwashing is not perfect either. With so many guys running around my car washing and drying it, I'm always afraid their belts/buckles will rub up against the sides while they're reaching over the top. And don't think handwashing can't scratch your car either. They're still using cloths and sponges.

For most of my washes, I stop at a full service carwash on my way to work. For $4, I sit in the car while they rinse it down to get the major dirt off before it goes through. The air blower at the end blows it nearly dry and there are free vacumn stations on the way out of the parking lot. I save $11 plus tip doing this and occassionally will have full service done when I haven't had time to do the windows myself.

 

FYI, it's from the late NY Senator, Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

 

I should have said that. I'll fix my sig line


Fixed

 

Automatic carwashes are a touchy subject.

 

For the record...I used to own a full service mobile detailing business and have detailed a *lot* of cars, so I have a pretty good background on the types of damage certain vehicle owner behaviors do to cars over time.

Given the choice between a touchless wash and a brushless wash that used fabric strips, the touchless wash is safer from a paint marring standpoint. The drawback is as you said, they don't get the vehicle very clean, and the detergents are really harsh which can stain and dull the paint.

The brushless tunnel washes get the vehicle cleaner, but the dirty strips of fabris whirring around at high speed absolutely will cause scratching and marring over time. Sometimes that marring is so bad it can make the paint look flat after many years of use. Other added issues include rag-guys at the end who use cheap, harsh, dirty towels to dry it off, and spray guys at the beginning that use rough brushes to do a pre-scrub at the beginning.

Not all of them are created equal, there are good ones and bad ones. I run the Prius through one here that does a good job, they use good microfiber towels to dry and spray the cars down well before they enter the tunnel to avoid dirtying the mechanism. But...I would never...ever...run the Lexus through it. I only wash it myself, or use a touchless wash in the winter when there are no other options.

In short...if you care a lot about the condition of the paint...automatic washes are a no-no.

If you absolutely want to have the car washed by someone else, I would find a competent professional detailer to wash it for you, either at their location or at your home or work. Find a COMPETENT one, one with references who will let you see their work.

Or if you want to do it yourself, its really not a big deal, especially on a little car like the Prius. Lots of options, a traditional hose and bucket wash or if you don't have the facilities for that, a product like Optimum No Rinse works really well and is safe.